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Fresh
Air
Sunday,
June 10, 3-8pm
A
Benefit for the Environment
Produced
by Tribe Management, Inc
for
the Canary Coalition, the Green Building Council and Environmental Defense
at
the Grey Eagle in Asheville
Asheville
Mayor Terry Bellamy will be delivering the keynote statement at 3:30 pm
Sustainable
Energy Council of WNC created
Support H1825,
the NC Energy Future Bill
Take the WNC Residential Energy Survey
Help
compile important data to create a sustainable, renewable energy future
Canary
Coalition Annual meeting, Thurs., June 28, 7pm at Montford Community
Center, in Asheville, NC
Renewal
Reminder
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H1825,
The
Bill of a Movement
Write, call or visit your district's state legislators to demand passage of H1825 amended as described in this email message. It's also important to contact members of the House Committees on
Public Utilities and
Appropriations where the bill is currently being considered.
H1825, the Energy Future Bill, has the potential to be one of the most important pieces of environmental legislation to come forward anywhere in the country in decades. This legislation deserves the support of everyone with an environmental consciousness and your state representatives need to be contacted now, because the deadline for passage in the House is May 17 for the bill to remain alive in this year's session. The bill as introduced in its current form needs to be amended to have meaningful impact, but if we produce a groundswell of support for the amended version it will result in substantial reductions in energy use, greenhouse gases and air pollution from North Carolina generating sources, unlike other pending measures which are largely smoke and mirrors.
H1825 is based on the Energy Future Resolution circulated during the eight-state Energy at the Crossroads Tour and passed by Democratic Party precincts, County and District Conventions throughout the state of North Carolina in 2006. The resolution calls for a comprehensive study, paid for with state funding, to determine the "least cost" method of meeting future energy demand, including the real and total costs to public health, the costs of environmental impact, the cost of full fuel cycles, the cost of waste handling and the cost of decommissioning of power plants. The study, performed under the authority of the Utilities Commission, would also include a determination and implementation of a restructuring of public utility rates to offer a meaningful economic incentive to ratepayers to invest in energy efficiency, conservation, off-peak power usage shifting and renewable energy technologies.
To date, cost comparisons by state authorities used to determine "least-cost" methods for meeting power demand have focused solely on construction costs of generating sources without consideration of health or environmental impact. Health and environmental impact costs have been labeled "external costs" and set aside to be ignored. But, these costs are only "external" from the perspective of utility company stock holders. To the rest of us they are simply costs, and very real costs. The costs of monthly health insurance premiums, for instance, typically far out-weigh the monthly utility bill. Air pollution from coal-burning power plants is the principle cause of the epidemic of respiratory and pulmonary disease, which in turn comprises the largest burden on our health care system, causing the cost of health care and health care insurance to rise dramatically.
Likewise, economic incentives for using less energy and shifting energy use to "off-peak" hours has never been evaluated by state authorities in cost-comparison to building and operating new power plants.
A comprehensive study including these factors will almost certainly reveal that policies promoting the use of clean, safe renewable resources in combination with economic incentives for ratepayer investment in energy efficiency and conservation will be much more cost-effective than building a new generation of polluting fossil fuel and/or nuclear power plants.
While the important study by the Utility Commission remains in H1825 and is funded by $95,000, unfortunately, when H1825 was drafted and introduced into the House this year several key elements of the Energy Future Resolution were removed for what was perceived as political expediency. The Energy Future Resolution that garnered massive public support called for a prohibition on licensing the construction of power plants not meeting "least-cost" criteria as determined by the Utility Commission's study, including the costs of health and environmental impact, full fuel cycles, waste management and decommissioning. The resolution also mandates rate-restructuring to provide economic incentives for efficiency and conservation. But, these key elements are lacking in the legislation as introduced. In order for this legislation to have meaningful impact we have to inform our representatives, now, that we want the enforcement elements to be re-instated.
Join in the campaign to pass this monumental piece of legislation with the strongest and most meaningful language intact. If we succeed, North Carolina will become the first state to come to grips with the issues surrounding climate change and air pollution on a realistic scale, reflecting the urgency of the climate crisis we are facing. Write, call, email or visit your elected state representatives and tell them to pass H1825 amended to include a prohibition of licensing new power plants that don't meet least-cost criteria, including the costs of health and environmental impact, full fuel cycles, waste management and decommissioning. The bill also needs amendment to include a mandated rate-restructuring to promote rate-payer investment in efficiency, conservation, peak-demand shifting and renewable energy technologies.
Write, call or visit your district's state legislators to demand passage of H1825 amended as described in this email message. It's also important to contact members of the House Committees on
Public Utilities and
Appropriations where the bill is currently being considered.
Rise and shine everyone. We can do this.
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Canary
Coalition Annual meeting, Thurs., June 28, 7pm at the Montford Community
Center in Asheville
Once a year the membership
gathers to count the ballots for Board elections, discuss general strategy
and hear a report from the Executive Director, traditionally known as the
"State of the Canary Address." There will be food and
non-alcoholic beverages served.
Montford Community Center, 34
Pearson Drive, in Asheville
mapquest
directions |
